From Spotify, this is Dissect.

Long-form musical analysis broken into short digestible episodes.

I'm Kolkishna.

And I'm TT Shodia. Today we continue our six-part examination of Blackest King by Beyoncée.

On our last episode, Simba had finally placed the crown back on his head,

recognizing the kingship inside him.

However, we soon recognize that Sima still needed spiritual renewal, practical guidance, and emotional

healing in order to reclaim the throne and become the leader his people needed.

All of these needs were fulfilled by Nala, who brought water for Simba's renewal, light for his guidance, and the loving affirmation of generations of brown skin women for his healing.

Ultimately, Nala's presence was the key for Simba learning how to give all of himself to another person in marriage.

Like the sun, the moon, and the ancestors in the heavens, Simba and Nala's marriage came to symbolize the ideal balance between divine masculine and

feminine energy. The love that Simba and Nala have poured into each other has now become

the baptismal waters that will be needed for Simba to be born again.

Child of dust.

Return to the river. Your roots and your story will be reborn.

As we see Simba and Nala on a horse riding away from their wedding,

we hear a voiceover from Beyoncé that refers to Simba as a child of dust

and call Simba to return to the river so that his roots and story can be reborn.

As an extremely concise retelling of the biblical narrative,

this passage sets the stage for the final act of the film,

which contains a number of illusions and direct

references to the Bible. Specifically, the phrase child of dust seems to reference

...